The spotlight will be shining on Akron as director, actor and producer Corbin Bernsen plans to film his new movie in the city on March 12.

Bernsen says the new movie, "3 Day Test," is centered around a man who loses control of his family due to technology of the fast pace of life. The three-day test is an idea presented to the main character.

The test will see how a family can survive inside their home without any power, electricity and water.

"Nobody comes in your house, nobody leaves. Windows closed, doors closed. Can you and your family survive for 72 hours if you had to," said Bernsen.

Corbin Bernsen Talks About "3 Day Test" by Amani Abraham

He says he found the perfect home in Akron to film the movie, but Bernsen did not disclose the exact location.

"A wonderful family is going to let us use their house. It's everything I wrote in my screenplay 30 years ago."

Bernsen is in Akron this week working on the national release of "25 Hill" because this year will mark the 75th anniversary of the All American Soap Box Derby.

"I want Akron to benefit. You know, I love it here. I have so many friends here now and I have to protect my reputation here, so I want to make sure it does well," said Bernsen.
 

A ribbon cutting ceremony marked the opening of a new production plant in Akron.

Röchling Automotive, a high-performance plastics manufacturing company, opened their doors Tuesday afternoon. The new plant is the second site stationed in North America. 

Robert Eimer, General Manager of Röchling Automotive USA, says he believes the company will succeed because of rising consumer interest. 

“We are convinced that regardless of the political interest, you will not be able to stop the long-term trend in oil prices and hence the increase in pushes from consumers for more fuel-efficient cars,” said Eimer. 

Several employees have already been hired and around 100 employees will be hired for work at the plant by the end of 2012. 

According to Eimer, the new location will bring the company closer to the top car manufacturers.

“Akron has a fully developed infrastructure along with an excellent work force as Akron and Northeast has been the heart of the rubber and plastic industries for many, many years.”

Mayor Don Plusquellic says the new investment is a reminder that manufacturing is alive and growing in the city.

“A company that has an international reputation, recognized our community as the very place to be in the United States,” said Plusquellic.

The new plant has about 80,000 square feet of warehouse space and is already set-up with production equipment throughout the facility. 

The company is also planning to offer co-op and apprenticeship programs for both Stark State College and the University of Akron to begin early in 2013. 

Two Akron men were arrested Wednesday after allegedly beating a victim with a guitar.

Akron police say Dierre Merritt, 20, and Johnny Merritt, 25, were charged with felonious assault.

Authorities say the victim needed surgery on his jaw and eye socket following the incident.

No further information has been released about the victim or the events surrounding the assualt.

The problem with foreclosures is moving far beyond the tragedy of homeowners finding themselves looking for a place to live.

Critics say it's made worse by banks who won't honor their committment to maintain properties they take over, dropping property values for remaining neighborhood homeowners.

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown has been a sharp critic of what he calls a "free pass" for banks and mortgage companies to just walk away from foreclosed homes, just as some homeowners walk away from mortgage terms they can't meet now that housing values have dropped.

"If they're (banks) going to push them into foreclosures, they can't walkaway from these homes," said Brown.

"Bank Walkaways" With U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown by Amani Abraham
 

Brown's office says the problem has been particularly acute in Cleveland, but Akron also scores high -- ranked seventh overall in "bank walkaways." A study by the General Accounting Office says as many as 34,000 homes counted on that list from 2008 through 2010.

If banks choose to work with homeowners and follow through with their responsibilities, Brown says real progress can be made including helping families who are in jeopardy of losing their homes.

"Work with homeowners to pay a little less and maybe to reduce the principal a little bit, so they can continue to make some payments and stay in the home,"said Brown.

Brown says he's not interested in punishing the banks, but he is interested in people keeping their homes.

"They (banks) own the home. They are responsible for local building codes and all that, to keep that home presentable. We hope to resell without vandalism."

Brown has been critical of a year-end decision by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency allowing banks to continue the practice if they are in the process of foreclosing on properties, even if the action leaves the house vacant and without regular maintenance, with former homeowners not even aware they were still on the hook for payments and taxes.
 

The same suspect who police say robbed an Akron hospital employee is believed to be involved in two robberies in one day.

The Akron Police Department reports the first robbery took place on Tuesday morning at about 6:30 a.m., when an Akron General Medical Center employee was robbed by an armed suspect in a parking lot.

The victim tells police the suspect handed over his wallet and cash before they jumped into their getaway car.

Police describe the vehicle as a silver, four door car, with tinted windows.

At 1 p.m., police believe the suspect involved in the first incident joined a second suspect to rob two 17-year old males in the parking lot of Chapel Hill Mall. Police say they made off with a $40 watch.

Akron police descriptions of the suspects are vague.

Snow and ice crews in Akron were up early to clear the roads Tuesday morning and are scheduled to monitor the roads throughout the day as a Lake Effect Snow Warning remains in effect until noon.

Public Works Manager Paul Barnett says about 47 trucks have been out all morning trying to keep the roads clear for drivers.

"We did some brake tests, didn't have any slipping or slidings on the interstate. We take that the most crucial due to the speeds," said Barnett.

Crews have been out on the roadways for the past 72 hours, according to Barnett. He says most roads and highways are clear and passable. They have now moved their attention to secondary roads especially near the less traveled areas.

He says they see more accidents during the first couple of snow days and hopes drivers will still use caution even though many roads are clear.

"We see a lot more accidents due to drivers not being familiar with driving in snow and ice conditions, so slow is the best way to go."

It was a different story in Portage County. The area experienced more trouble as drivers felt the slippery road conditions.

Dispatchers with the Portage County Sheriff's office say cars were sliding on major roadways including I-76, Rt. 224 and Rt. 14.

Barnett says they are expecting some more lake effect snow later today and will continue to monitor roads throughout the day.

MEDINA-SUMMIT-PORTAGE- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MEDINA...AKRON...RAVENNA 400 AM EST TUE JAN 3 2012 ...LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON EST TODAY... * ACCUMULATIONS....ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS TODAY WILL AVERAGE 1 TO 3 INCHES WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS. * TIMING...SNOW SHOWERS WILL BE HEAVY AT TIMES THIS MORNING ALONG WITH SOME BLOWING SNOW. THE SNOW SHOWERS WILL TAPER OFF DURING THE AFTERNOON. * WINDS...NORTHWEST 15 TO 25 MPH. * IMPACTS...SOME DRIFTING OF SNOW IS POSSIBLE IN OPEN AREAS. * TEMPERATURES...16 TO 20. * VISIBILITIES...UNDER A MILE IN THE HEAVIER SNOW SHOWERS. 

A 32-year-old Akron man was arrested Friday after police say he dumped a meth lab into a business dumpster on South Main Street.

Authorities say Darrell R. Mancuso was found in his car three days after a business owner gave a description of the suspect.

Police also found chemicals and supplies to make meth inside the front and back seat of his car.

Mancuso is charged with illegal manufacturing of methamphetamines, illegal assembly of chemicals, and complicity to manufacture methamphetamines, possession of methamphetamines and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Timothy J. Kennedy, 24, of Moore Street and Jolan M. Brady, 34, of Morningview Drive were also in the car and have been charged with illegal assembly of chemicals, complicity to manufacture methamphetamines, possession of methamphetamines and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Opening a business and keeping a business thriving in this economy can be a struggle. So, how business friendly is Ohio?

Stuart Baker, Vice President of sales at Advanced Poly-Packaging in Akron, is considering moving his business out of Ohio after he says he has been targeted by state agencies.

"We don't have the manpower in place to be looking at every new regulation and every new change in policy," Baker said.

Baker says he was unaware the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation conducted an audit in 2007 with an unauthorized employee. He says the employee was convinced by the auditor that she had the authority to release and change information.

As a result, the company was notified of the audit three years later, penalized $15,000 and noticed an increase in their rates.

Richard Rebadow, vice-president of the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce, says his organization tries to help owners in tough situations.

"If it's something with a policy matter or something that we can help with pushing that through to other channels, we would be happy to assist them," said Rebadow.

Baker says he looked into the 2007 audit and found several mistakes and procedural issues throughout the audit. When he asked the state to investigate his claim, they refused citing they are unable to amend reports within one year that the audit was preformed.

"I think that the state is trying to get as much money as they can from companies and I think that auditor went beyond her authority to do these thing. In fact I know that," said Baker.

Rebadow says local business owners have to be proactive in addressing their needs and use their sources to communicate with state agencies.

In recent research, Ohio is shown as a business friendly state.

In a report done by the Fiscal Times, they listed Akron as one of the top ten best cities to find a job. It measured the best metro job growth areas nationally over the past year. Akron has moved up seven notches on the lists after becoming the home of new research and technical centers.

A CNBC special report showed Ohio reaching one of the top 25 states to do business in the nation.

The 2007 audit is only one example of the problems Baker has had to face with state government agencies. If issues continue to arise, he is considering moving his business to another state in order to move forward.

"I've started looking at properties," said Baked. "We're comparing what it costs to do business in Ohio to what it costs to do business in other states."

Akron Chamber of Commerce Vice President Richard Rebadow says moving a business out of Ohio can cause more problems than it can solve.

"Even with government assistance , it cost a lot of money, is very disruptive and that is a big consideration," said Rebadow.

It's a happy holiday ending in the "Lost and Found Department".

The Beacon Journal reports that a cloth bag with $12,000 was lost Wednesday in Akron, but was found a day later by a very honest Akron couple.

Police say the woman and her husband found the tan cloth bag lying in the middle of the road at an Ellet intersection and went to police, who went through paperwork inside to find the rightful owners - the Springfield Township couple who lost the loot.

They had it because they were going to buy a house out of state.

The couple isn't giving out their names, and aren't talking about any possible reward. The woman says - quote - "God kept his hand on that money." 

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On the Web: Akron Beacon Journal, www.ohio.com

Facing the fact that he would soon be handcuffed, an Akron robbery suspect probably had more on his mind than just a pending arrest.

Akron police say Anthony T. Ethridge, 22, shot himself in the head during a police chase Wednesday. Police report he was a suspect in a bank heist at a FirstMerit branch Wednesday morning in Akron.

Ethridge was out on bond after pleading not guilty Dec. 12 to an indictment, which listed charges of abduction and domestic violence.

On day later, a warrant was issued for his arrest on owed child support payments. Court documents show Ethridge was a no-show in court for his hearing Dec. 13, to explain why he was not paying.

Akron police say Ethridge shot himself in the head while officers were trying to catch him and two others under the All American Bridge. The names of the two other suspects arrested were not released.

8:03 p.m. Editor's note: the links to publicly-available documents in earlier versions of this story have been removed at the request of the party in the child support action.

Related Coverage:

VIDEO One Dead, Two Arrested After Bank Heist

Dead Bank Robbery Suspect ID'd